Why do I do it?

I posted last week about reasons to workout when pregnant and I touched on some of the benefits I think I have noticed.  But I didn’t give reasons for why I make it such a priority and talk about it so much.

I have been exercising for years.  It is my stress release, my fun and has become an easy way to add to my health.  I wont lie and say it was always easy, but over time it has gone from something I should do to something I do to help my weight loss to something I do because I enjoy it.  Now I relate it to showering as something I know I’ll just do and it is a lot easier to find where it will fit in my schedule!  How often do you just not shower because you don’t have time?  Never?  You make time.

So when I found out that I was pregnant, I didn’t question if I wanted to continue to workout.  From taking the group fitness instructor certification exam, I had learned a lot about modifications for pregnancy and I can also pull from the experiences of my friends.  I knew what was presented as the benefits and they sound like great reasons.  Mostly, having that information added to my own reasons.

I still exercise for my stress release.  I still find it fun, at least the workouts I do!  And now it is an easy way to add to not just my health, but my baby’s also.  I still used “easy” there, and while it hasn’t been difficult, it has been more of a challenge.

I now need to exercise in the morning.  If I wait until later in the day, I usually end up not working out or getting in something lighter than planned.  Sometimes though, I have to choose sleep over exercise.  Some days I don’t make it through my planned workout.  It is much more important to listen to cues that I just don’t have it that day when there is a teeny human depending on me listening also.   The same workouts are more difficult, and it is sometimes tough to find variety in the workouts I like.

It is so worth the extra difficulty though!  I can’t imagine my pregnancy without the exercise.

Workout yesterday – Moms Into Fitness 3rd Trimester workout
Workout today – Prenatal yoga class and a long walk while listening to a podcast